By: Kipp Branch

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Auburn Tigers have had back to back poor seasons under head coach Gus Malzahn, and the fan base hopes that turns around in 2016, or this could be Malzahn’s last year on the plains. The bar was set high in 2013 with a NC game appearance, but just 15 wins in the last two years has Auburn folks very nervous.

Malzahn is 27-13 entering his 4^th season at Auburn. 7-5 type seasons will not cut in on the plains.

Can Auburn get back in contention in the stacked SEC West? This roster is as talented as any in the SEC, and should win 9 games on just talent alone. So why has this team fallen off so badly over the past two seasons?

Malzahn is an offensive genius, but he did not have a QB to run his up tempo style in 2015. The first question is finding a reliable quarterback between Jeremy Johnson, Sean White and John Franklin III.

White and Johnson both took turns last year and were awful. Is transfer Franklin the answer at Auburn in 2016? Auburn has holes to fill on the OL. RB is now a question with some big time transfers and dismissals. Auburn had a great year recruiting WR’s but they are young.

The Auburn Tigers should improve drastically on the defensive side after ranking 70th in the country last year giving up almost 410 yards per game.

Montravius Adams and Carl Lawson provide one of the best tandems in college football along the defensive line. Lawson has been injury prone and keeping him healthy is a must.

Johnathan Ford is all SEC caliber at the safety position and Auburn’s leading tackler from last season. Never good when a safety is your leading tackler.

Auburn has elite pass rushers and a pretty good secondary. First year coordinator Kevin Steele should put together a defense that should be in the upper half of the SEC.

The 2015 unit appeared soft when you watched Tray Matthews jump and whiff on Leonard Fournette on CBS to avoid hard contact.

Daniel Carlson may the best kicker in all of college football.

Auburn will probably experience an inconsistent season a lot like the last two years based on the uncertain future at the QB position.

They key to the entire Auburn season will be if John Franklin can run the offense like Malzahn needs him to run it.

He is fast and mobile and if he can offer a running threat the Auburn’s offense will click like 2013/2014. If not then look out.

Schedule/Prediction:

09/03/16 vs. Clemson/L

09/10/16 vs. Arkansas State/W

09/17/16 vs. Texas A&M/W

09/24/16 vs. LSU/L

10/01/16 vs. Louisiana-Monroe/W

10/08/16 at Mississippi State/W

10/22/16 vs. Arkansas/W

10/29/16 at Ole Miss/L

11/05/16 vs. Vanderbilt/W

11/12/16 at Georgia/L

11/19/16 vs. Alabama A&M/W

11/26/16 at Alabama/L

I have Auburn going 7-5 in 2016.

Will this be enough to save Gus Malzahn’s job? Auburn University has shown with Terry Bowden, Tommy Tuberville, and Gene Chizik that they are not afraid to fire a football coach who under-performs as compared to the collective talent on the football roster.

You just never know with Auburn football. When you count them out they win 12-13 games. When you bet the house on them they go 7-6. This is a hard team to figure.

Good QB play in 2016 could by Gus more time. If not, the Gus Bus could drive over a cliff and Auburn may be back at the drawing board.

The natives are restless at AU.